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The variety of 3D-printing techniques available so far have been used on polymers or metals, but never on glass. Where glass was processed into structures, for instance by melting and application by means of a nozzle, the surface turned out to be very rough, the material was porous and contained voids. “We present a new method, an innovation in materials processing, in which the material of the piece manufactured is high-purity quartz glass with the respective chemical and physical properties,” explains Rapp. The glass structures made by the KIT scientists show resolutions in the range of a few micrometers – one micrometer corresponding to one thousandth of a millimeter. However, the structures may have dimensions in the range of a few centimeters, emphasizes Rapp.
3D-formed glass can be used, for instance, in data technology. “The next plus one generation of computers will use light, which requires complicated processor structures; 3D-technology could be used, for instance, to make small, complex structures out of a large number of very small optical components of different orientations,” explains the mechanical engineer. For biological and medical technologies, very small analytical systems could be made out of miniaturized glass tubes. In addition, 3D-shaped microstructures of glass could be employed in a variety of optical areas, from eyeglasses meeting special requirements to lenses in laptop cameras.
Frederik Kotz, et al. Three-dimensional printing of transparent fused silica glass. Nature, 2017; 544 (7650): 337 DOI: 10.1038/nature22061
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Wednesday April 26 2017, @12:05AM (1 child)
The MIT article points out that glass has a strong temperature dependent viscosity which makes it hard to work with. And the printer uses a 3-stage temperature heating to get just the right heat. Not runny but still adhesive and possible to shape.
The advantage with this Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) process over the MIT one is that it has higher material transparency and smoothness. Enough to be used as optics. But it also uses a polymer that seem to contain the nano particles of soda-lime glass. First when the polymer has been dissolved is the object complete (as I understood it).
Anyone has any idea on what kind of material the nozzle uses for 1000 ⁰C material temperatures? it has to be mechanically stable at those temperatures and still need to feed material with precision. Perhaps Wolfram works but it's messy to deal with. I'm interested because I had some ideas for other materials.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @02:06AM
They use one of those resin printers. SLA/DLP: a pool of resin and light that cures it. This resin is not just binder but also glass particles. A later step gets rid of the binder and fuses the glass, the cooking takes place then, not in the printer.